Berries, bacon and skinny jeans were deemed to be health hazards in 2015.
Related reading
The best of SBS World News in 2015
But the overriding message, yet again, is that Australians have to eat and drink less, severely limit the junk food, get more exercise and stop smoking if we want to improve our health.
Fashion victim
An Adelaide woman made world headlines when forced to crawl for help after her skinny jeans cut off the blood supply to her calf muscles.
The 35-year-old squatted for hours while emptying cupboards, but didn't take much notice when her jeans became increasingly tight and uncomfortable.
She collapsed while walking home but fully recovered after four days in hospital.
"She had massive, really severe, swelling of both calves to the extent we were unable to take her jeans off without cutting them," said neurologist Associate Professor Thomas Kimber.
"She couldn't move her ankles or toes properly and had lost feeling in her lower legs and feet."
Describing the case as a "cautionary tale", he said people wearing skinny jeans should avoid squatting for long periods or wear something loose or with elasticity.
Related reading
Skinny jeans wearer hospitalised for four days in Adelaide
Bacon warning
Australian carnivores were advised not to stop eating red meat but limit their intake after research showed it can cause cancer.
A World Health Organisation review of decades of research found that processed meats like sausages, bacon and ham cause bowel cancer, and red meat "probably" does too.
Cancer Council Australia research estimated 2600 bowel cancers diagnosed nationally in 2010 were attributable to processed and red meat consumption.
But tobacco topped the list causing 11,500 cancer cases each year, while 3900 were linked to obesity and being overweight and 3200 to alcohol.
Related reading
Bacon and other processed meats can cause cancer: WHO
Berry blues
Thirty-four people in six states contracted the hepatitis A virus after eating the same brand of frozen mixed berries.
It led to Patties Foods launching a mass recall of the Nanna's berries from shops around the country.
More recently, New Zealanders were advised to return or throw out Fruzio branded frozen berries after a fifth Kiwi contracted the disease.
Hepatitis A is a foodborne disease that can spread through food being handled by someone already infected.
Related reading
Berries off Aust shelves after Hep A scare
No magic cure
Author Belle Gibson admitted lying about having cancer, while "wellness warrior" Jessica Ainscough died of a rare form of the disease.
Ms Gibson, a 23-year-old social media entrepreneur, convinced fans she recovered from terminal brain cancer through healthy eating and natural therapies, while 29-year-old Ms Ainscough tried to stave off her disease with natural healing.
The events prompted Cancer Council Victoria CEO Todd Harper to urge patients to be wary of cancer cure claims that sound too good to be true.
"We do know that nearly all of these alternative treatments are ineffective and some are actually harmful," he said.
"It is really important that cancer patients take advantage of the (scientifically proven) advances to give themselves the best opportunity for survival or at least to manage their cancer diagnosis more effectively."
Codeine
The medicines regulator is considering whether Nurofen Plus, Panadeine Extra and other drugs containing codeine should be prescription-only.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration says addiction and other risks posed by the products are serious enough to warrant the change.
Codeine is increasingly an abused drug in Australia and it can cause severe adverse reactions and is not as safe as other over-the-counter products.
A decision was due in November, but was delayed until June after the regulator was swamped with submissions opposing the change.
Related reading
Codeine-related deaths rise in Australia
Festive dining?
Indulging in a daily dose of up to 100g of chocolate can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the University of Aberdeen research.
But chocoholics were warned by the Heart Foundation that a better way to reduce the risk is to eat a healthy, balanced diet, get a daily dose of physical activity, reduce the time spent sitting, keep your weight in a healthy range and not smoke.
Related reading
Comment: Here's to wine, chocolate and a long healthy life
